When the Doctor Knows Best

Shared decision making is today's medical standard, but it isn't always best for patients

By

Barron H. Lerner

July 3, 2014 3:35 p.m. ET

I still remember the day my father told me the story of how, in 1996, he had single-handedly prevented other physicians from performing CPR on a woman whose heart had just stopped. He had actually laid his body on top of hers to ensure they couldn't try.

I was stunned and, frankly, appalled. As someone who taught medical ethics, I knew that interfering with CPR for a patient who had not given a do-not-resuscitate order wasn't only...